This invention relates to firearms, specifically to the firing mechanism of a handgun designed for minimum overall length.
The minimization of overall handgun length has long been recognized as a desirable design objective.
Shortly after the invention of the metallic cartridge, standing breech pistols designed for minimum size had already standardized around several features, including a firing mechanism incorporating a pivoted external hammer combined with a single action pivoted trigger, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 51,440 (Elliot) and U.S. Pat. No. 105,388 (Thuer).
The pivoted external hammer firing mechanism, as incorporated in these designs, suffers from several significant disadvantages. Foremost among these is a needless increase in overall firearm length. That portion of the gun set behind the breech end of the barrels is longer than necessary because it must both accommodate the long radius arc of hammer motion and still provide a handgrip extending beyond the rearwardmost point described by the arc, so as not to create interference between the hand and hammer while firing. The result is a waste of linear space which increases overall length. The corollary of this disadvantage is that the barrel is necessarily shorter for any given overall gun length than would otherwise be possible.
The pivoted external hammer creates another disadvantage in that it requires the gun to be grasped for firing below the lowest point of the hammer spur""s arc. This results in a longer moment arm between hand and barrel axis and consequently creates an undesirable increase in the torque experienced by the shooter during recoil.
This design also suffers from the disadvantage of being slow to bring into a ready condition, as the pivoted external hammer must be manually cocked before firing. Since firearms of this class are frequently carried on the person, the pivoted external hammer suffers from a further inherent disadvantage. The protruding hammer may become snagged on a holster or clothing and thereby interfere with the drawing of the gun.
Despite these significant disadvantages of the prior art, standing breech pistols designed for minimum size have advanced little since the nineteenth century. Direct derivatives of nineteenth century designs are still currently in production.
Pistols with a firing mechanism consisting of a pivoted internal hammer combined with a self cocking pivoted trigger, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,960 (Stevens Jr.) mitigate some of the secondary disadvantages of traditional design. The pivoted internal hammer pistol however, still suffers from the primary disadvantage of needlessly large size. The long radius arc of hammer motion which needlessly increases the length of the gun is merely concealed, not eliminated. The corollary disadvantage of necessarily shorter barrel length for a given length gun is also not overcome.
Prior art attempts at maximizing barrel length for a given length handgun have focused on relatively large target arms, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,476,125 (Wesson et al). This design uses a longitudinally slidable external hammer for the purpose of reducing the length of that portion of the gun behind the breech end of the barrel.
Despite addressing the issue of barrel length, the longitudinally slidable external hammer design ignores the issue of overall gun length. In addition, this design also suffers from many of the same disadvantages as the previously discussed pivoted external hammer guns.
The gun must be grasped for firing below the path of the hammer""s travel, so as not to create interference between the hand and hammer while firing. As before, this results in the disadvantage of a longer moment arm between hand and barrel axis and consequently creates an undesirable increase in the torque experienced during recoil.
This design likewise suffers from the disadvantage of being slow to bring into a ready condition, as the longitudinally slidable external hammer must be manually cocked before firing.
Although perhaps of little consequence on a target arm, the longitudinally slidable external hammer suffers from a further disadvantage if applied to a gun carried on the person. As with pivoted hammer designs, the protruding hammer may become snagged on a holster or clothing and thereby interfere with the drawing of the gun.
Accordingly, among the objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a firing mechanism which minimizes overall gun length;
(b) to provide a firing mechanism which maximizes barrel length for a given overall gun length.